Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has made up some ground against Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the opinion polls.

Today's Newspoll in The Australian newspaper has Mr Turnbull sitting on 19 per cent as preferred prime minister - up two points from a fortnight ago.

But that is still way behind Mr Rudd, with 66 per cent of people polled preferring him in the top job.

The Newspoll shows 30 per cent of people surveyed were satisfied with Mr Turnbull's performance, up from 26 per cent a fortnight ago.

Labor leads the Coalition 55 to 45 on a two-party preferred basis.

In late July Mr Turnbull's popularity as alternative prime minister hit a record low at 16 per cent.

The 16 per cent rating matched that of Mr Turnbull's predecessor, Brendan Nelson, when he was ousted from the leadership last September.

The latest poll results comes on the back of a tough weekend for Mr Turnbull, when newspaper reports suggested he met with former prime minister Bob Hawke and other high-profile Labor figures seeking pre-selection for a seat in 1999.

Former Labor leader Kim Beazley also said he advised Mr Turnbull about his political future.

"They've thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Malcolm Turnbull and he's shown that he's a very resilient and tough individual who can always remain focused on the issues of greatest importance to Australians.